About us

Dubai Business Insight is an independent publication for people doing business in the UAE. We report on the economy, companies and deals, and we write practical guides to the rules that cost people real money: licences, visas, labour law, tax and property.

Every guide is sourced, dated and written in plain English. When the rules change, we update the page and say what changed.

What we cover

• Business: the UAE economy, trade, companies and deals.
• Company Setup: free zones, mainland licences, renewals, tax and compliance, and what set-up really costs.
• Real Estate: off-plan projects, commercial property and market data.
• Investment: markets and IPOs, the Golden Visa, and banking.
• Tech & Startups: funding, AI and fintech.
• Hospitality & Retail: hotels, restaurants and retail.
• Living & Working: visas and Emirates ID, labour law, cost of living and relocation.
• Tools: free calculators, including gratuity and VAT, that show their workings.

How we work

• We start from primary sources: the law, government portals such as u.ae, ICP, MOHRE and the Federal Tax Authority, and official fee schedules.
• Every guide lists its sources at the end, so you can check them yourself.
• Pages show when they were last checked, and an update log records what changed.
• Advertisers and partners have no say over what we write.

Our editorial standards explain the process in full.

Who we are

We are a small, remote newsroom based in Dubai, led by our founder, who is also the editor. We don’t have a physical office: our team works remotely and meets sources in person when a story needs it.

Guides published by the team carry the byline “DBI Editorial Desk”. You can see everyone who writes and reviews for us on our authors page.

How we are funded

Dubai Business Insight is currently funded by its founder. In future, we plan to earn money from display advertising and clearly labelled partner content. See ownership and funding.

Contact us

Questions, tips and corrections are welcome. Use our contact form.